The Cost of Love: 31 January 2010

(Love) bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things
1 Corinthians 13:7

A few things witnessed, heard, and read this past week: The President's State of the Union address in which he highlighted many points with the economy being among them and a call for more cooperation between political parties for the benefit of the people of this country. A conversation with friends who just lost a loved one with the heart-breaking grief so evident on their faces and in their hearts. The nightly scenes and stories of the continuing devastation in Haiti and its effects on the lives (and deaths) of a still countless mass of people. A news story reporting the halting of airlifting severely injured Haitian earthquake victims to the U.S. (in particular Florida) for proper and necessary life-sustaining medical care because of a dispute over who will cover the cost of that care. All these things are at first glance seemingly unrelated but, are they?

How much, in dollars and cents, is a life worth? The life of a victim of natural disaster; the life of people struggling economically to put food on the table, a roof over their heads, pay for basic necessities, find employment; the life of a loved one so dear who has died no matter the length of their life. Can we really put a price on life?

A while back I heard a story about trees - perhaps it was a certain species of trees but memory isn't serving me well right now. In any event, the story related that in a grouping of trees when one tree is struggling for survival, the more healthy trees surrounding it will reach out with their roots and provide nourishment to their "companion" so that perhaps it may indeed survive. Now, my mind knows trees do not feel emotions but...if they did, I would say this is an act of love - to reach out and care for a most vulnerable neighbor.

What is the cost of love? Perhaps it's in sharing the burden of bearing another's pain through our care and compassion. Perhaps it's believing that all good things are possible when we reach out and touch someone or a group of people, through our cooperative efforts and the sharing of our gifts and talents. Perhaps it's our clinging to the hope that with our help, however we are able, that goodness will prevail. Perhaps it's enduring some hardships of our own in the name of assisting others in distress. Yes, there is a price to pay for Love - in time, energy, even money - but let's ponder this: isn't the "cost" just too high for the alternative: abandonment?

Peace on the Journey.

We Are One: 24 January 2010

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many,
are one body

1 Corinthians 12:12

Living out in the rural area surrounded by farms and fields, hills and valleys, wooded areas and natural ponds and rivers offers the opportunity to daily witness the movements of a wide variety of birds and animals (both wild and domesticated) giving one so much more than a glimpse of the interconnectedness of nature. It also serves as a constant reminder of how caring (or destructive) human actions can impact the natural environment in which we live. Truly we have an investment in tending to and caring for our environment because we not only live in it, we interact with it and are ultimately one with the multitude of creatures and plant life of the world in which we live.

This past week, Catholics were urged to observe a week of "Prayer for Christian Unity". Though a noble idea, I found myself pondering this concept and literally scratching my head. We all know there are beliefs and/or doctrines and dogmas that serve to divide different Christian traditions. But I just have to wonder if designating a week to pray for Christian unity is a bit too exclusive. Shouldn't we be striving for unity, understanding and acceptance of all people no matter their faith tradition?

When something in nature is out of balance, Nature takes care of itself and takes corrective action. For example, efforts to divert a river around a community may ultimately be in vain when torrential rains come and the flooding river reverts back to its original locale. The things that divide us as people are many: ethnicity, language, rank, status, title, economic status, education, beliefs, values, etc. But what unifies us is our common bond as children of our Sacred Creator. Perhaps we would do well to focus our attention and hearts and minds on our "oneness" with each other and all of nature rather than on our differences.

Peace on the Journey.

Judging: 17 January 2010

Every time as I head into town, I look for him. He is not seen very often but when he is, his bright colors bring a welcome and vivid contrast to the snowy white background. This lone male pheasant occasionally makes a habit of rummaging for food alongside the road a mile from our home. Just a week ago he showed up in a different location and was, of all things, in the company of several crows. I remember thinking, "What in the world is that pheasant doing with those crows - those scavengers?" How quickly we judge at times. There surely must have been something there that attracted the pheasant because it sure didn't look as if he was the least bit bothered by his black feathered companions.

So too at times we are very quick to judge others - how they look, how they live, where they live, if they have the "right job" (or no job), what their beliefs are, how they raise their children, how much "stuff" they have or do not have, who they hang around with and call friends, etc. perhaps without taking the time making the effort to gain an understanding of the other person, group of people or even a nation of people. The recent recounting of a conversation with an acquaintance a couple of years ago comes to mind. The topic of discussion was the tsunami that hit Somalia and the money donated to aid the people devastated by that disaster. This acquaintance boldly announced that people should give their money to causes in the United States and not to some foreign or remote country because "you don't get anything back" when donating to a cause outside of the U.S. Hmm...is the point of helping someone by whatever means and abilities we have really to get something back???

We live in a very global community and are connected almost immediately by technology to what is happening to our sisters and brothers in nearly every corner of the world. Just minutes after the very recent earthquake and massive devastation occurred in Haiti the beginnings of the story was already in the online version of the New York Times. And the media continues to keep us updated on the continuing tragedy as it unfolds. Oh we could make judgments; we could find fault in poorly constructed buildings that were flattened in a matter of minutes (or seconds), or in the "ignorance" of people who live there in poverty. But (hopefully) for most of us in our society we become acutely aware of our connection with the people of Haiti especially because we all share a common bond as children of our Sacred Creator. They are not "those people"; they with us are "we people" worthy of care, compassion, concern, and love. The Haitians, as is true of each and every one of us, have something of value to share with the world. At the very least, in their pain we learn compassion anew.

"To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit" (1 Corinthians 12:7). Those of us who have wisdom to share, let us share it. Those of us who have knowledge, let us share it. Those of us who have the ability to provide healing, let us share that gift. For those of us who embrace faith, and hope and love as the cornerstones of our lives, let us hold onto that for strength and always remember we and all of creation are so deeply connected and loved by the Sacred One.

Peace on the Journey.

A Lesson from the Birds: 10 January 2010

Yesterday's snowfall covered the few bare patches of ground under the trees in our yard, leaving the little chickadees in a foodless quandary (or so I thought) as they have often come to peck and poke at the ground over the past couple of weeks since the last snowfall. This afternoon I watched as the downy woodpeckers frequented the suet cage and, lo and behold, the chickadees were on the snow down below feasting on the seeds that were dropping from the suet block as the woodpeckers nibbled away nearly cleaning out the suet cage. One of the cool things about noticing what's going on in nature is how a sight or sound can echo an experience in human life.

Watching the birds reminded me of what I've been doing these past several days: cleaning out - closets, bookshelves, cupboards, drawers - sifting through the "stuff" that has accumulated over the course of several years. Gosh, I even found stuff I had long forgotten we had! Everything from coats and boots and clothes to books and kitchen items and odds and ends got the once over and what we no longer have use for (and is in good condition) got packed up in boxes and donated to the thrift stores so that someone else could make good use of the items. It's amazing how much clutter can build up over a period of time leaving little, if any, room for storing the more important things. The same is true of our inner, spiritual life.

There no doubt are times when there is so much going on in our lives, we have difficult emotions tugging on our hearts and/or are barraged by a myriad of thoughts cluttering our minds that we don't pay much attention, or have the energy or desire, to engage in practices that nurture our connection with the Sacred. I wonder...perhaps we could take a cue from the woodpeckers who so diligently tend to cleaning out the suet cage and at the same time offer the little chickadees the opportunity to also gather sustenance for themselves. When we weave some time for spiritual enrichment into our daily routine, whether through prayer, journaling, reading, meditating, etc., we will find the strength and desire to sort through our inner clutter and begin to feel more spiritually in balance. As we nurture and take in nourishment for our spiritual dimension, we just may find ourselves more able and willing to give, to share, to love those who need just what we have to offer.

Peace on the Journey.

Getting Our Attention: 4 January 2010

The other day as I was working at the computer I heard a rather loud knock on the window. The thud resembled the familiar sound of a bird hitting the window but I thought that couldn't be; not at this time of the year. It's a rather common happening in spring and summer but not during the winter months. After only a few moments there was a rapid succession of taps that called for investigation. Carefully and slowly I peeked through the blinds and there he was - a downy woodpecker tapping on the window trim. Thinking it odd, as to my knowledge it was the first time it ever happened, my eyes moved to the suet cage which was empty. It was as if this little bird letting me know he was hungry and I had better get more suet out there for him. I promptly went to the cupboard and got out a fresh block of suet and put it outside for my feathered friend, who quickly went about feeding on it. As I watched, I was reminded that he is important and worth my attention because he is a part of the great many sights and sounds of nature that bring sheer joy to my heart and spirit.

As we Christians celebrate the feast of Epiphany, the manifestation or appearance of the Lord, we are reminded that there are absolutely no limits to the love of our Sacred Creator - all are loved deeply and unconditionally no matter by what name we call our God: Allah, Yahweh, Elohim, Jehovah, Adonai, Abba, or simply Higher Power. To the Holy One we all are important. A question to ponder: Who in our world, our neighborhoods, our circle of acquaintances is in need of our attention and how can we respond?

Peace on the Journey.